It's pretty well known now that Will Smith turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix for a chance to star in Wild Wild West, but did you know Al Pacino was almost Han Solo in Star Wars but turned it down because he didn't understand the science fiction script? Hollywood is filled with these stories of almost and what-ifs when it comes to the world of castings. In an alternate timeline, we could have had Man of Steel star Henry Cavill in not one but two famous Robert Pattinson roles.
Cavill sat down with Josh Horowitz of the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast and discussed everything from playing Superman in DC movies to his roles in Netflix's The Witcher and the Enola Holmes series (both streaming now with a Netflix subscription) and so much more. The conversation got interesting when Horowitz asked the actor to reflect on some career near misses, such as being Stephenie Meyer's first pick for the Edward Cullen role in the Twilight Saga films. The Man from U.N.C.L.E star was honest about the near casting, saying he had no idea they even wanted him for the lead part that eventually went to Pattinson. Cavill said:
Yeah, I'm sensing some Batman rivalries. No, not at all, I didn't know about the movie and them wanting to cast me. The internet wasn't quite the tool that it is now. I only found out afterward and was like, 'OK that would have been cool.
Even though Cavill has more charm and charisma than you could shake a stick at and would have done a fine job as Cullen, it's hard to imagine anyone sparkling quite as bright in the role as Pattinson. If we were to lose the original Edward actor, we would lose all the hilarious interview compilation videos of Robert Pattinson looking completely apathetic or straight-out annoyed with Twilight. I wouldn't want to lose those for anything.
What's particularly interesting about Meyer wanting Henry Cavill for the role of Edward is that this isn't the first time the two actors were up for the same role. The Superman actor was up for the part of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, a role that would eventually go to Pattinson. The actor revealed in the interview that he had auditioned but ultimately did not get it. Cavill said:
I definitely auditioned for that one [Potter] but did not get it.
The actor chalked up being passed over for the Harry Potter part to his age at the time the film was casting. Cavill is three years older than Pattinson and, at the time, would have been nearly twenty years old. And, in his opinion, he was far too old to be playing a kid in high school.
Cavill also took the time to reflect on another career near miss, almost being cast in the lead for the beloved James Bond movies. The actor said he was told that the part had come down to only him and Daniel Craig, with Henry being the younger option of the two. Ultimately the role went to Daniel Craig, and the rest is history.
Since Cavill didn't land the role of Edward Cullen, we will have to use our imaginations when it comes to this Hollywood what-if. But with Craig officially done in the Bond role, there may still be a chance for Cavill to put on the fitted suit and order a martini. Shaken, not stirred, of course. You don't have to use your imagination regarding Cavill as Bond because one deepfake artist has already swapped the actor for Timothy Dalton in Living Daylights.
Both seasons of The Witcher are now streaming on Netflix. You can look at CinemaBlend's 2022 movie release schedule for all your movie-going needs in the coming months.
